The Ryecourt Nursing Home, in Blackpool, Lancashire was judged to be outstanding by the Care Quality Commission following an unannounced visit 23 May 2018.
Ryecourt provides nursing care and support for people who live with dementia and/or a physical disability.
Ryecourt was rated outstanding in the effective, caring, responsive and well-led categories and good for the safe element.
Throughout the CQC report inspectors found multiple examples that demonstrated the staff and management team were passionate about providing an innovative and excellent service. A relative told inspectors that, "It's outstanding here, there is no other word to describe it." CQC observations confirmed staff were highly skilled communicators and able to engage with profound empathy and respect.
Residents living at Ryecourt and visitors emphasised that staff were highly experienced and provided an effective service. They said they were extremely confident about a service that delivered skill and expertise in care. A relative said, "The staff are highly experienced, I cannot commend how well trained they are, and their expertise is exceptional."
CQC inspectors used a method called Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). This enabled them to review staff interactions with people who were unable to verbally communicate. They found staff were highly skilled communicators and able to engage with profound empathy and respect. They constantly smiled and interacted with a very caring, friendly and loving approach. Staff talked with people in ways that aided them to remain within their own realities. They engaged with people calmly and discussed topics that were clearly of interest to the person. Staff were proactive to deescalate situations before they deteriorated, which was enhanced by extremely high staffing levels.
We saw people who lived with enduring mental health conditions frequently went from room to room and to different communal areas. Staff did not at any point prevent individuals from going to wherever they chose. They maintained high levels of effective record keeping and assessment of people's progress. This was because they consistently ensured monitoring charts and risk assessments went securely to wherever the person opted to walk to. This gave staff immediate and continuous access to records, which they updated with a live and ongoing approach.
There was an excellent approach to managing and mitigating risk through the 'Safety Challenge Initiative.' This involved staff utilising various tools and the management team monitoring their effectiveness. Areas covered included health infections, falls management, pressure ulcers and the Pre Hospital Early Warning (PHEW) score. PHEW was a proactive method of preventing hospitalisation. The provider funded nurses to train to administer intravenous fluids, which was unique to the locality. We found these procedures were highly successful in reducing incidents and unnecessary hospital admissions to minimal or zero levels.